Darling Rose Gold, by Stephanie Wrobel

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Paige

“They don’t know the depths of this mother’s love.”

Does forgiveness come with limitations or should it be unconditional? Should mitigating factors be considered when speculating harmful behavior? The story starts out with Rose picking up her mom, Patty, from prison. Patty, imprisoned for aggravated child abuse of Rose, has caused a strain on their relationship and Rose’s future to be thwarted. But, is Patty the only one to blame? Where do they go from here now that she is out from prison? And, is Rose willing to look past the years of abuse her from mother…?

I really loved this one! I found both narrators so hard to trust, and as lies began to unfold the thrill of what was to come had me rapidly turning the pages. Nearly every chapter revealed a new lie or added a new element to one of the characters that seemed to put a twist on things.

The relationship between Rose and Patty is emotionally draining at times. Both characters are messy, and their story is not one that I would describe as a happy one. Rose’s life in particular unveils the superficial mask that society often has, and we see her frequently hurt by others around her. Patty’s background comes in bits and pieces, but also demonstrates a past reflecting a lifetime of pain.

I am not an expert on Munchausens syndrome, so I can’t attest to the validity of this illness as it is presented in one of the characters. If you work in the medical field, you might find fault within this presentation and might take this into consideration.

Darling Rose Gold is author Stephanie Wrobel’s debut novel. Visit Stephanie Wrobel’s website to learn more.

Publisher’s Weekly review of Darling Rose Gold calls Patty the “Mother From Hell”.

Go to this Popsugar page to read this first chapter of Darling Rose Gold for free!

Read BookTrib’s review of Darling Rose Gold.

Darling Rose Gold is also published under the title The Recovery of Rose Gold depending on your location.

Stephanie Wrobel, photo from Penguin Random House website.

Follow Stephanie Wrobel on Twitter.

Darling Rose Gold was selected as a March 2020 Library Reads book. To learn more, click here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

It’s Not About You, by Tom Rath

Posted on January 12, 2020 by Paige

The author of popular children’s book How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids brings us a short 35 page brief guide about finding a purposeful life.

” Your life has an unknown expiration date. Your efforts and contributions to others do not. The time, energy, and resources you invest in people you care for and your community keep growing forever. “ -Tom Rath, It’s Not About You

Though there are powerful highlights along the way, I enjoyed the first half more than the second half. Mostly this book is a celebration of those who have contributed to the author’s life, but the beginning does provide the reader with a quick reminder of how to invest in filling up others around us. It’s somewhere between a self-help and a memoir.

There is a three step guide, but the third step focuses on his career exploration differing in design form the first two . He does eventually explain how he ended up writing the book How Full is Your Bucket. From Step 3 on, it is a lot of rambling stories. The organization is muddled, and after the first couple of chapters the focus of the book doesn’t stay completely defined; it repeats ideas and goes on to tell more stories about people he has encountered.

6 Total Chapters:
*Step 1-Get Over Yourself
*Step 2- Invest in the People Who Matter Most
*Step 3- Focus on What Will Grow When You Are Gone
*Living a Life of Contribution
*How Can I Contribute Today
*Answering Life’s Greatest Questions

Currently available for free download on Amazon for Prime members.

Tom Rath’s children’s book has inspired many classrooms. Visit his website to learn more.

Read Forbe’s article featuring Tom Rath about how small changes can affect our lives in major ways.

Click here to read a short article about an NBA player who went to a local school to read Tom Rath’s children’s story about filling peers buckets.

Follow Tom Rath on Facebook.

” We are, to a large degree, the product of what others have contributed to our lives.” -Tom Rath, It’s Not About You

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

You’re Not Listening, by Kate Murphy

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Paige

When is the last time you felt like someone truly listened to everything you said? How do feel when you leave a conversation feeling like the person really absorbed what you shared with them? How do you feel when you leave a conversation feeling like the person wasn’t paying attention or didn’t care what you were saying to them?

This is one of the most impactful books I have read all year. The message of true listening in You’re Not Listening serves to emphatically renovate the way we interact with each other. Kate Murphy’s words can revolutionize your conversations and relationships in a meaningful and powerful way. But, only if you listen.

There was so much that resonated with me, and I highlighted quite a lot. My favorite chapters were “Addicted to Distractions” about the endless distractions that interfere with meaningful social interactions, “Supporting, Not Shifting the Conversation” about how we often direct the attention away from the person talking and direct it towards ourselves, and “Improvisational Listening” about collaborating with others.

Look at all the tabs I had to make for this book so I wouldn’t forget certain quotes! There was so much highlighting going on!

Does it teach you how to listen? Sometimes pointers, tips, and guidance is mixed in. The purpose of the book though is to highlight the importance and value of listening. So, it teaches you the significance of listening rather than how to listen. But along the way you pick up tips about how to listen.

I highly recommend this book, and I think this is a must read for anyone in a leadership position. The book is extremely well researched but a very accessible read. It is comprehensible to the average reader and explains chapters in an approachable way.

“Half of surveyed Americans do not have meaningful social interactions on a daily basis.” *Read more

Read more about the importance of listening The Magic Relationship Ratio According to Science

What about listening to yourself? Read a bit about that here.

This was a group read with the Travelling Sisters. We had an amazing group discussion while reading. While discussing the book, group member Marilyn said, “This book is in my head all the time now, just feels like a part of me…” and I couldn’t agree with her more.

Thank you to Celadon Books for an advance copy! It was a pleasure and I loved it!

|Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review|

Molly Bit, by Dan Bevacqua

Posted on December 3, 2019 by Paige

Molly first struggles to become an actress, but then battles more obstacles while navigating her life both outside of films and while on set. She adjusts and develops according to what is needed for her next career advancement, but is it what is best for her relationships and vitality? What will she do to achieve stardom on the big screen?

The novel is broken into three parts “Life”, “Death”, and “Afterlife” following Molly throughout these different stages in her career between the years 1993-2014. Narrated in third person, it is mostly told through the eyes of Molly but sometimes switches to other characters.

The story is disjointed and plot weak which made it was hard to finish. There is little character development and I was not satisfied with the ending. After finishing, I was left scratching my head as to why some chapters and characters were included. The only character I found interesting was Roger who is only detailed for about 22 pages of the entire book. Without Roger, this probably would have been one star. Overall, this was not an interesting nor a compelling book for me.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions are my own.

Follow author Dan Bevacqua’s Twitter to read more thoughts from him.

|Purchase on Amazon| Goodreads Review|

The Weddings, by Alexander Chee

Posted on November 18, 2019 by Paige

How do we measure the value of marriage? What is the purpose of the marriage ceremony, and what should a wedding reflect? Does the ceremony echo the vows of the couple, or does it mirror something else? How has it changed and why has it changed?

Jack and Caleb have enthusiastically returned from their first gay wedding when Jack is invited to Scott’s wedding. Though he has not heard from Scott in years, his invitation to Scott and Soon-mi’s wedding causes old memories in Jack to resurface. What is Jack hiding in his past? Jack worries about attending Scott’s wedding because of the past, but Jack’s boyfriend Caleb ensures that everything will turn out fine. When they attend the wedding, both Jack and Caleb are met with a surprises.

“Jack wasn’t used to weddings. His friends were mostly people who didn’t, wouldn’t, or couldn’t- until this year- marry.”

The layers shaped underneath the weddings were intricately scaled and finely calculated. I really enjoyed the irony of relationships, purposeful characterizations, and cultural significance presented in this short story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.